


when Fire met Water

by Hazel_but_muffin123



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Childhood Trauma, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Historical Fantasy, Hurt/Comfort, coach ukai is an asshole
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:47:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28444155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazel_but_muffin123/pseuds/Hazel_but_muffin123
Summary: Prince Koshi Sugawara is the youngest son and 3rd in line for the throne. All his life he's been nothing but an inconvenience to his father, King Keishin Ukai of Karasuno, and treated as nothing more than that. That is until he meets a certain prince from Aoba Joshai...
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Michimiya Yui/Sawamura Daichi, Oikawa Tooru/Sugawara Koushi, Shimizu Kiyoko/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 21
Kudos: 96





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ok ok so here's a small synopsis:  
> All the coaches are the kings of their respective 'kingdoms'  
> The captains are the upcoming kings  
> In Karasuno, it's custom for children to keep their mother's maiden name (hence why suga still uses his last name and not Ukai)  
> Stfu about how all the sons have different last names don't worry about it  
> Suga is part siren and thus can do some of the siren things (ex, manipulate water, stay underwater for extended periods of time, has a beautiful singing voice)  
> Ukai is an asshole, like a complete asshole.

Tooru danced around the Palace garden with his eyes closed, humming a soft melody under his breath as he entrapped himself in a world where he was dancing with someone else. As he neared the center of the garden, where a fountain brought him back out of his own little world, he opened his eyes and looked around. The prince had a habit of envisioning romantic scenarios, thus making most of the kingdom see him as a hopeless romantic. He sighed contently at his surroundings and sat down, letting the chilly night air surround him as he quietly listened to the sounds of the peaceful garden at night. However, his peace was cut short by a small “your majesty…”  
Tooru looked up to see a servant girl at the archway leading into the garden, a small envelope clutched in the young girls hand. She held it up a little more as she said “this just arrived….from Karasuno…”  
“Karasuno….?” Tooru asked as he stood up and walked over, taking the envelope out of the girl’s hands and examining it. Just like the young girl, who was now hurrying away to prepare the prince’s study so he could write them a response, had said, the envelope was sealed with black and orange marbled wax and stamped with the official Karasuno crest, he opened the letter, intrigued by why someone from the “kingdom of crows” as they were called, would reach out to Aoba Joshai. However, when he opened the letter, it became clear why they had sent the letter all the way from their small forest and ocean skirted kingdom to the often snow and ice-covered one at the base of mountains. Inside the envelope, in messy, almost illegible handwriting, was a message that read

Dearest the aoba Joshai Lineage,  
In case you do not remember, the kingdom of Karasuno will be holding a grand ball to celebrate another generation of our aliance as I get ready to pass down my crown to my eldest son. The festivities will last for 2 weeks, and our staff would be honored to tend to you as you stay at our lowly estate. There will be many a ball, feast, and other such celebrations throughout your stay to keep you entertained, and of course, my three sons are dying to make your aqquaintance, each will provide a speech at the multiple parties we shall host, starting with my youngest, sugawara, and ending at my eldest, daichi, as he prepares to take the throne and continue to build upon our legacy. If you could send back a letter so that we should know when to expect you, that would be most appreciated.  
sincerely,  
Keishin Ukai of Karasuno

Once he finished reading the letter, Tooru stuffed the letter into his pocket and headed to his study. Excited about the prospect of a visit to the warmer, albeit smaller, kingdom. Once he finished his response, which detailed both his acceptance of the invitation and excitement to see how the kingdom had changed since his visit many years ago, he stared out his window, which gave him a view of the city he’d one day inherit and rule over. As he looked over the kingdom that had anything and everything he’d adored inside it, he had both a feeling of deep adoration and love, and also a sense of great dread at the idea of ruling it. So many things to keep up with just to make sure the kingdom runs smoothly on a day-to-day basis, Tooru would often doubt if he’d be able to do it all.  
“Yeesh…” the prince mumbled to himself “taking care of a kingdom is like taking care of a needy kid….”  
Suddenly, as Tooru was staring out the window, a calico cat slowly hopped onto the window sill, small snowflakes dusting it’s fur as it mewed through the glass at Tooru, who immediately opened the window to let the cat inside. Once inside, Tooru closed the window and grabbed a bowl of dried cat food that he kept in his room for the pet and put it on the window sill, watching in slight concern at how fast the cat ate the entire bowl  
“How long have you been missing…? Or have those Nekoma pussies not been feeding you…?” Tooru asked as he brushed a hand over the cat’s back. The calico mewed in response, looking at Tooru expectantly. At that moment another animal perched itself on the window sill outside of Tooru’s study, only this time it was a crow, which had a letter attached to it’s leg. It cawed as it shook the snow off it’s feathers.  
“Oh, poor thing….what are you doing all the way out here…?” The prince inquired as he opened the window and let the bird in. Tooru looked at the crow as it cawed, before untying the letter from the leg and realizing it was another letter from Karasuno, as the crow fluttered over to the fireplace in the study and perched it’s self on the mantle of the fireplace. The first thing he noticed was the much neater handwriting, indicating this letter must have been written by someone else. Inside the letter read

Dear Prince Tooru of Aoba Joshai,  
I’m sure that by now you have been made aware of the coronation festivities for my oldest brother, Daichi. I have been asked to write to you to implore that you may join us, however, my intent of this letter is not that but to ask a favor of you. Recently our kingdom has fallen into poverty at the ignorance of my father, and I’m in no position to convince him to do something about it. All I ask is that should you decide to come, that you mention the kingdom to him, and make it aware that what he is doing is being noticed by other kingdoms.  
Forever yours,  
Prince Koshi Sugawara of Karasuno

Tooru closed up the letter and nodded to himself. “Hm..so the little crow is calling out for help. How sad. Well, I guess I’ll have to help poor Karasuno out.” He began to write out a response letter, before sending the crow back out into the night and returning to his room to prepare for his trip to the Karasuno


	2. Chapter 2

Suga glanced around his study, trying to find something to keep his boredom at bay. His eyes immediately went to a shelf of small but shiny knick-knacks that he’d collected over the years. He glanced at the sheet of paper in front of him, which was completely black, and sighed, tipping back in his chair and looking up at the ceiling. He knew he should be writing his speech for the ball tonight. This week would mark the 20th anniversary of the signing of an alliance between Karasuno and 4 other kingdoms. Aoba Joshai, Shiratoizawa, Fukurodani, and Nekoma. In light of this, King Ukai had elected that Karasuno host a grand ball in an expression of gratitude for the other Kingdoms and their companionship. As the youngest son, it was up to Koshi to kick off the week of festivities at the grand ball that would be held that night. The only issue in this was that despite having weeks to write, Suga hadn’t even set down to do it until right then, the day of. The young prince fiddled with his pen as he tried to think of what to write, but with no such luck. After a small bit of time, Koshi was interrupted by a soft knock on his door.   
  
  
“Come in” Koshi called out, sitting up straight in his chair again.   
  
  
The door opened a little and Yamaguchi, Suga’s best friend peeked his head into the small room.   
  
  
“Oh hey Yams, what’s up?” Koshi asked, his head perking up in interest.

  
  
“I was wondering if you wanted to go to the forest with me….” Yamaguchi explained shyly as he rocked back and forth on his heels “I was gonna head there after I stopped by the street market and picked up a few things, but if you’re busy-”   
  
  
“No no no,” Koshi said quickly, sighing in relief that he now had something else to do “I’m actually glad you asked, a change of scenery might be just what I need to inspire me”   
  
  
Yamaguchi’s eyes lit up “really? Ok, then, let’s go!” As he sprinted off Suga giggled a little in exhilaration, chasing after him. As the two raced to the stables, Koshi didn’t think about how his father had forbidden him from leaving the castle to go into town, a rule he’d broken multiple times.    
  
Once there Koshi took off the small silver crown with white opalescent jewels embedded in it and hung where he normally hung his cloak, which he slipped on over his white button-up with loose flowing sleeves that tapered at the wrist and his high-waisted black riding pants that had horse-back riding boots to match. He hopped onto his horse, a very light gray and white speckled horse he’d lovingly named sugar cube, and waited for Yamaguchi, before they left Koshi stopped him   
  
“Remember what we’ve talked about,” He said in a serious voice   
  
  
“Tell no one. And be back before they notice we’re gone” Yamaguchi agreed   
  
  
Koshi gave him a small nod before beginning on the secret pass that they’d made years ago.

Once in the overcrowded street market, Koshi was barely able to contain his excitement. He’d always been a fan of shiny or sparkly objects, no matter the value of them, so in the street where kiosks sold all kinds of reflective knickknacks, the young prince felt like a kid in a candy store. He let himself indulge and buy a few crystal geodes before his eyes fell on a mother and her young baby. The two were dressed in rags that hung off their thin frame, causing Koshi’s heart to break for the two. He searched for a few moments before finding a few vendors that sold cured meats and bread, as well as clothes. He bought about a weeks worth of both things and walked over to the two. Since his hood had been up, no one had looked twice at Koshi, taking him for a simple commoner. Koshi handed the two the items, and the mother, who’d now realized Suga’s identity, gasped a little before managing out a small “y-your majesty….this is…”   
  
  
“The least I could do for my people” Suga interjected, before placing a small, cheap silver tiara on the child’s dirty head, who looked at Koshi and in an awe-struck voice asked “are you a prince…?”

  
  
Koshi’s eyes held a mischievous glint as he smiled and held a finger to his lips “shhhh…..no one can know...it’ll be our little secret...and now you're a princess as well..” He said in a voice as if he were telling the little girl a monumental secret. The small girl smiled brightly and giggled happily before Yamaguchi pulled Suga away. “Come on, we’re on a time crunch and I thought we were supposed to be laying low, not casually flexing our money on everyone in the center of a street market in a kingdom where poverty is more common than almost anything else”    
  
“Relax yams,” Suga said casually as he got back onto his horse, no one’ll notice us. In fact, they’ll probably think we’re wealthy travelers here to see the Prince get crowned. Yamaguchi dropped the issue, seemingly not convinced but not wanting to push any further. The two rode through a less crowded street until they made it outside of the kingdom’s walls and into the dark and overgrown-path forest that lay outside it. Suga tied up his horse to the palace walls, and walked into the forest, Yamaguchi following suit. After a while of walking, the two arrived at a small clearing with a hut in the center of it and a little pond off to the side of it. Both suga and yamaguchi sighed out of relief as they walked into the clearing more. Yamaguchi opened the door for them both.

  
“Thanks yams,” Suga said with a small smile, to which Yamaguchi waved the prince off “no worries Suga, thanks for agreeing to run away for a little. I know you’re busy and all with the speech”   
  
  
Suga plopped down into a chair in front of a table that sat in the middle of the small one-room hut, warmth seeped in from the windows as the afternoon sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains. A fire was already in the small wood-burning stove/oven with a tea kettle whistling shrilly to signal that the hot water was ready. Yamaguchi walked over to the stove and took the kettle off of the hot surface, placing it off to the side on a wooden shelf that he pulled a small metal container from. The green-haired boy filled a tea bag with the leaves from the canister and placed it inside the kettle to let it steep as he grabbed two chipped mugs from the cabinets above the stoves and placed one in front of Suga, who smiled gratefully. Yamaguchi walked back over and picked up the kettle by it’s rubber handle before pouring some of the now stepped tea into both of their cups. Yamaguchi bowed a little at the end   
  
“Your tea, My liege,” He said in an over-exaggerated fancy accent. Suga giggled a little before replying in his best King Ukai voice “thank you, servant. Now leave me at peace so I can plot how to ruin my kingdom’s reputation further,” causing the two both to end up doubled over with laughter at Suga’s impression. Yamaguchi wiped a small tear from his eye as he sat down, still giggling a little at the joke. Suga took a small sip of the tea before looking up with a curious smile “Is this a new blend? I don’t think I’ve had it before”   
  
  
“Oh, yeah I mean- I’ve made it before but I couldn’t quite figure out how to perfect it so I haven’t let you try any but I think I got it right this time” Yamaguchi explained sheepishly, a shy smile growing on his face.    
  
  
“Well in my non-expert opinion, I think it’s great,” Suga said with a small smile, taking another sip.   
  
“Really?” Yamaguchi asked with a hopeful glint in his eyes.   
  
“Really.” Suga looked out the window at the sun, noticing how it would soon start to set, which meant guests would be getting here soon and that he needed to have a speech ready. Suga sighed quietly and drained the rest of his cup of tea “I hate to make us leave right after we got here...but we need to head back soon so we don’t get in trouble...you know dad’ll have my head..”   
  
  
Yamaguchi frowned a bit and sighed disappointedly. “You’re right you’re right…” he admitted before standing up and packing some of the tea leaves from the canister into a small leather pouch and securing the strings together. Yamaguchi walked back over to Suga and handed him the pouch. “Here...take this for the road…” 

  
“Thank you, Yamaguchi...and here, for you..” Suga said gratefully as he pressed a heavy gray leather pouch into Yamaguchi's palm, the contents of it clinking softly against each other.   
  
“I-” Yamaguchi started before throwing his arms around Suga. “Don’t just get me stuff without warning! I feel bad now” He pouted, crossing his arms a little while still holding the bag in his hand.   
  
“You literally just gave me a present,” Suga pointed out with a small smile. “Now open it. I wanna see your reaction.”   
  
Yamaguchi examined the outside of the pouch before opening it. Inside was an abundance of gold coins, clinking against each other softly as the bag moved a little. “Suga….this is…”   
  
  
“The most I could do for you…..on top of being one of my citizens, you’re my best friend….and I wanna help you…”   
  
Yamaguchi smiled and pulled Koshi into a tight hug. “Thank you so much….”   
  
“Of course, now come on...we need to get ready…” Suga pulled away and began walking back into the forest and towards the Castle, Yamaguchi following quickly behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

TW IMPLIED ABUSE

Suga looked at his reflection in the full-length mirror in his room, silently critiquing the outfit King Ukai had picked for him. Not that it was bad, just that he’d always hated the way his father dressed him up for festivals or other such events when behind closed doors King Ukai treated him more like just another mouth to feed than a son. Even then there were times when King Ukai would isolate him in his room for weeks on end and leave Suga without a proper meal, forcing the young prince to rely on Yamaguchi and his other siblings to remember to sneak an extra roll during dinner or maybe to steal away at night and ask the cooks for “midnight snacks'' that would miraculously find their way to outside Suga’s room, which would also mysteriously unlock and allow for Koshi to take. But that was aside the point, for now, Suga was looking at the light blue, white, and teal outfit he was being forced to wear, along with his small crown, announcing to the guests that he was the youngest of the Karasuno lineage. His crown wasn’t anything to frown at either despite its size. It was a small and perfect circle of silver with rounded spikes of various sizes and adorned in Opal and quartz protruding from it. Koshi examined it with the slightest bit of affection before there was a knock at the door.   
  
  


  
“Yes?” Koshi responded with the slightest bit of irritation in his voice. However, his attitude immediately changed when Kiyoko’s head peeked out from behind the door.    
  
“Koshi…? Are you going to be heading downstairs soon..?” Kiyoko asked in a soft voice, already changed into her attire for the ball that night.   
  
  


  
“Oh, yeah, just-” Koshi fixed the crown on his head and looked at himself one last time in the mirror. “-ok, I’m ready..”   
  
  


  
Kiyoko nodded a bit and walked down to the palace gates with Koshi. As soon as they got to the gate Daichi scolded Koshi.   
  
  


  
“Where were you!?” Daichi whisper-yelled as he greeted the incoming guests. He was wearing an all-black suit with silver accents as well as an orange cape and golden a golden collar chain that had the pins in the shape of crow wings. Compared to Asahi and Koshi, Daichi definitely looked the most like a king out of the three. His crown was solid gold with black jewels embedded in it. He shook the guest's hands with a gloved hand and polite smile while somehow managing to scold Koshi at the same time, which was truly one of his more infamous talents. “Father was  _ this close  _ to figuring out you weren’t at the castle”

  
  
  
  


“But  _ did  _ he?” Koshi raised an eyebrow and looked over at Daichi with a small smile.   
  


  
“Well, no, but-”   
  


  
“Then  _ why  _ are you getting your crown all in a twist, as long as  _ you  _ don’t say anything then Father’ll never have to know I was gone” Koshi smiled mischievously before an ornate white and teal carriage showed up. The first royal guest had arrived. Aoba Johsai. Koshi looked at the carriage curiously as A servant stepped down and opened the door, allowing someone to step out. As soon as Koshi saw him, his heart started racing. Everything about the prince seemed to entrance Koshi. From his chocolate eyes that seemed to become pools of honey in the sun to his hair that gave Koshi the urge to run his hands through it to test if it was as soft and fluffy as it looked, Koshi couldn’t seem to look away. For a moment the two locked eyes, and in that moment Koshi wondered if he was actually gonna pass out. Tooru smiled and walked over to him, causing Koshi to go through a whirlwind of emotions before ending with a warm smile on his face.   
  


  
  
“Hello little crow,” Tooru said with a cocky smile   
  
  
“Prince Tooru, glad to see you,” Koshi said through a friendly smile as he shook his hand once out of formality and tried to fight back the swarm of butterflies in his stomach. “I hope you had smooth travels”   
  


  
  


  
“They got a bit bumpy at times, but it was worth it to see you”    
  


  
Koshi smiled warmly despite the faint yet ever-growing blush on his face. “Well I’m honored you made the time for the coronation. I speak on behalf of the whole kingdom when I say we couldn’t be more thrilled you made it.”   
  


  
Tooru was about to say something when all of sudden Daichi coughed, a cough that faintly sounded as if he were trying to cover up the words “kiss ass”. Koshi threw a side-ways glare at Daichi as Tooru tried to conceal his laughter, a feat that proved to be futile when Kiyoko put a gentle hand on Koshi’s arm and said “you aren’t a kiss ass, Koshi.” For a moment the group couldn’t contain their snickers anymore and simultaneously all began to burst out in giggles before King Ukai stepped out onto the bridge with them. As if a switch in their hands turned off, the Karasuno kids all straightened up and went back to their formalities.   
  
  


  
“Well I hope you enjoy your stay, Prince Tooru” Koshi said as he looked away from the prince, his face no longer harboring any of the warmth it had before.   
  


  
“Uh- Thank you, I’m sure I will..” Tooru stuttered, now assessing the siblings questioningly. Koshi nodded a little in response before King Ukai put a friendly arm around Tooru. “Prince Tooru! Welcome to Karasuno” He greeted with a friendly and cheerful smile.   
  


  
“Thank you, King Ukai, for having me. I have to say, your kingdom is quite lovely.” Tooru answered, glancing back at the siblings as if trying to put two and two together.    
  


  
"Oh, why thank you Prince Tooru, we're glad that you could take the time to come down and celebrate with us," King Ukai said with an air of confidence that rivaled Tooru's.   
  


  
Tooru kept his princely smile as he said “Of course, I’d never pass up an opportunity to visit Karasuno.”   
  
“Well come on in, and please, make yourself at home.” King Ukai smiled and motioned for the door.

  
  
  


  
Tooru bowed a bit as he said “Thank you for your Hospitality.” Before he walked in all the way, however, he glanced back at Koshi and the rest of the siblings. Something had happened earlier, something that made Tooru think that maybe Karasuno isn’t as it seems...   
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAHHH sorry for the short chapter! I promise I'll make it up by posting a really long chapter next but in the meantime enjoy this small bit cute sibling interaction!

Koshi sighed as he continued to greet guests. Despite his honest attempts at focusing on greeting people, his mind kept wandering back to a certain prince he’d met earlier, and he’d repeatedly cut to look back up at the carriage from Aoba Johsai. He hadn’t even realized Daichi had switched places with Asahi until Daichi leaned over and whispered in Koshi’s ear, “Nice carriage, or maybe you liked who arrived in the carriage”

  
  
  


Koshi jumped a little at the voice and looked over at Daichi with a small glare. "It's a beautiful design. is it now a crime to admire skilled architecture?"

“Don’t lie to me little brother it isn’t the carriage is it?” Daichi asked with a small smirk.

  
  


Koshi huffed and went back to shaking people’s hands, his face flushed a slight red as he responded levelly, "I assure you Daichi that my feelings toward the Prince of Aoba Joshai are nothing more than platonic"

  
  


Daichi snorted “yeah right.”   
  


Suga blushed more. "ok so _ maybe _ if in a hypothetical reality the prince offered me a dance I'd take it in a heartbeat but that doesn't mean anything."

  
  


Next to Daichi, Asahi choked back his laughter, covering it up with a cough. 

  
  


Daichi snorted again before responding, “well then, I guess I’ll have to test that theory.”

  
  


“What? No, even if you did-” Koshi looked around to make sure the coast was clear before saying in a quieter voice “- you know the father would never allow it..”

  
  


“Well, what was it you said? What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

  
  
  


“How would that even- never mind I don’t want to know.”

  
  


“So that’s a yes? 

  
  


“I- yeah, sure, whatever…” Koshi sighed as he finally gave in, looking back at Daichi with a now thoroughly flushed face.

  
  


“Great now if you excuse me-” Daichi got up and began to walk back to the castle “-I gotta go”

  
  
  


“Wait what? No- guests are still arriving!”

  
  


Daichi laughed as he walked back into the castle, leaving Asahi and Koshi with the task of greeting all the guests.   
  


“No, come back!-” Koshi groaned and looked at Asahi “-he left us!”

  
  


Asahi looked at Koshi before snickering and walking back into the castle.

  
  


“Wait- not you too!”

After all the guests had been greeted, Koshi sighed and leaned against the side of the bridge that he was standing on, looking back at the Aoba Johsai carriage one more time and snorting a little. “Me? And Prince Tooru? Dance? Pffft, yeah right.” The young prince sighed and stood up. “Oh well, not all your dreams can come true. Now, time to go bullshit a speech…”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haaaiii! Here's an extra long chapter to make up for less exciting chapter last week! I hope you like this little bit of cute fluff
> 
> -Jams

“Welcome to the ball!”   
  
Koushi glanced around the room as Ukai’s voice echoed throughout the ballroom, trying to stifle his ever-growing nerves. He glanced down at his note card which contained the speech he’d put together about 30 minutes ago. As he tried to memorize as much of the information as possible, he half-listened to the opening bit Ukai was saying.

  
  


"Welcome everyone, I thank you for joining us this week in celebration of my son Daichi's coronation and the beginning of another generation of the alliance. I hope you all had safe travels and thus far have enjoyed yourselves. In this kingdom, we have always valued the voice of others, and thus, I turn the mic over to my youngest son, Prince Kōshi, to say a few words"

  
  


Kōshi walked over to the stage where a band had been set up near the wall and stepped onto it with the help of his father, before turning towards the mic and smiling warmly at the crowd. 

  
  


"Thank you father,” Koushi started. “ _ Ahem _ , these upcoming weeks are weeks of celebration and togetherness. As a new era of the alliance emerges so does a new beginning for our kingdoms. I have full faith in my brother and abilities of ruling and having our people be able to lead better lives than they ever have before. Of course, we've had our short-comings, but if there's one thing this alliance shows, it shows that no matter how dire the circumstance, One can always rise above and be greater than ever thought possible. Now, with that in mind, let the festivities begin!"

  
  


Koushi smiled and stepped down from the stage as the crowd applauded him. Shortly after the small orchestra started playing music and people started pairing off to dance. As they did, Koshi leaned against one of the walls in the ballroom, trying to still his nerves when suddenly a familiar voice interrupted his train of thought.   
  


“That was an amazing speech, little crow.”   
  
  
Koushi jumped a little before looking over to see Tooru leaning against the wall next to him. Once he realized who it was Tooru however he smiled warmly "why thank you, That must mean it's good if you liked it”

  
  
“It was great,” Tooru said as he glanced around the ballroom. “Yeesh, I haven’t been to a grand ball in a while. I’m glad Karasuno held this event.”

"well my father  _ is _ one for grandiose events whenever there's something worth celebrating"

  
  


Tooru nodded a bit. “Aoba Johsai mostly celebrates the important things. I think our next event is my coronation. I plan to make it better than the prince of Shiratorizawa’s coronation.”

  
  
"Ah, well, I'm sure you'll be able to pull it off. Aoba Joshai's celebrations are always one to remember," Suga said as he subtly fidgeted with his cuff links "you clean up nice, might I add."

“Why thank you. You do as well.” Tooru noted as he dusted off the cape he was wearing. “Although, if I’m being honest, you always look your best.”

  
  


Koushi smiled softly, a slight blush forming on his cheeks "you flatter me.”

  
  


Koshi’s reaction seemed to give Tooru the courage to go further. “And I’ll keep doing so. You’re gorgeous.” He said as he chuckled lightly, tilting Sugawara’s chin upward with his finger.

  
  


"yeah yeah, thank you prince charming," Suga said despite the fact that his face was as red as a tomato. He was about to simply wave off the comment before he got an idea. He took Tooru’s hand and planted a soft kiss on his knuckles. “I could never compare to you though..”   
  


Tooru’s face reddened. He was completely caught off guard by Sugawara’s gesture and sudden change in mood. “O-Oh um-!” He took a deep breath to try and calm himself down “Thank you.”

  
  


Kōshi smiled and straightened up again as the band started up a slower song. Suga looked around, offering the prince a dance around his father was so risky it could be considered stupid. He relented for a little before internally deciding 'fuck it.' and offering Tooru his hand "would you do me the honor of giving me this dance?" He asked with a small smile. 

  
  


Tooru paused for a moment before a small smile crept onto his face. “It would be my pleasure,” He said as he took Koshi’s hand.

As the two made their way to the center of the Dance area, a few people would stop and stare at them curiously. Koshi stopped and bowed deeply, holding his hand out to Tooru, who gladly took it with a smile. Koshi pulled Tooru into him, Putting his other hand on Tooru’s waist as he started to lead in a waltz. 

  
  


“My my little crow, you’re quite the dancer,” Tooru said with an impressed smile. Koshi looked at him with a small smirk before muttering in the other’s ear “oh come on, prince Tooru, surely you didn’t think I didn’t know how to dance…”   
  
  
“Well in my defense, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you dance before, Prince Koshi.”   
  
  


Koshi smiled softly “well now you have..”

  
  
  


“I have and I’m very impressed”

  
  
"Why thank you, you aren't too bad yourself" Kōshi smiled, seemingly not noticing the small water droplets that seemed to levitate around his feet.   
  


  
  


Tooru smiled as well and twirled Koshi around, teal flame bursting out around his feet. Koshi studied Tooru's appearance with a small but genuine smile. His cape moved like a stream of water that trailed around him as he danced. The young prince smiled more and blushed as he let Tooru spin him, letting out a small, almost silent giggle as a small cloud of steam followed their feet, a product of the two’s powers colliding.

  
  
  


Tooru chuckled a bit and lightly squeezed Koshi’s hand. He could feel himself growing a bit warmer, although he couldn’t tell whether it was the fire or the warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest. To add a bit of dramatic flair, Tooru conjured up small balls of teal light to surround the two as they danced. The small balls of light moved in a way that could be seen as similar to fireflies.

  
  
Koshi glanced around at the fire before backing at Tooru with a knowing smile “flare for the dramatics?” He questioned as his eyebrow arched slightly.

  
  
  


“Of course not.” Tooru chuckled. “Though, the light does seem to light up your face nicely...There’s a sort of sparkle in your eye.” He stared into Koshi’s eyes for a moment with a faint blush.

  
  


Koshi blushed and let himself become lost in Tooru’s eyes for a moment before replying "I could say the same to you....blue suits you, your majesty..."

  
  


Blue, in fact, did suit Tooru rather nicely. And so did white, for that matter. The prince had on a mostly white suit with teal accents that complimented his warm brown hair and eyes expertly. He also had on a blue cape and a crown that tied the whole outfit together. The white on his suit was so striking it almost appeared to glitter under the glow of the fire and the candlelight of the chandeliers. 

  
  


Tooru blushed but smiled a bit as he responded. “Why thank you, little crow. Blue suits you as well..truly fit for someone as beautiful as you.”

  
  
Kōshi blushed more, as the song ended Kōshi bowed and the crowd applauded the two and returned to normal conversation "you made an exceptional dance partner, Prince Tooru,” He said with a bow.   
  
  


  
  


“As did you, Prince Koshi. I look forward to dancing with you some other time.” Tooru smiled.

  
  
  


Koshi smiled and was about to say something before King Ukai appeared at Koshi’s side, putting an arm around him. "I never knew you learned ballroom dancing Prince Tooru"   
  
Almost immediately there was a shift in the atmosphere. The original easy-going and inviting mood is now suddenly replaced by a more tense and cold feeling. However, Tooru pretended as if he hadn’t noticed this and replied with “Ah yes, I’ve been learning ballroom dancing for quite some time.”   
  


  
  


"Aahhh interesting, My daughter, Kiyoko, is classically trained as well. You should dance with her some time" King Ukai suggested. Koshi’s smile became more strained as King Ukai spoke. It took everything in his power not to tell his father to leave his sister alone. There were many things Koshi would tolerate from his father, but bringing Kiyoko into his games was not one of them. Despite the protectiveness any older brother would have over his sibling, the two youngest siblings shared the bond of being their father’s least favorite, and it was impossible to count on his hands how many beatings he’s taken for his little sister.   
  


Tooru nodded and kept up his charming and princely appearance as he replied, “I’d love to dance with her sometime.”

  
  


Koshi’s heart shattered at the words, but he didn’t let it show.   
  


_ Don’t give Father a reason to suspect more than he already does. _

  
  


"she's a lovely girl, perhaps you two will meet tonight?" King Ukai continued.    
  
  
“Perhaps we will. I don’t think I’ve seen her around here, though.” Tooru responded, trying everything to find a way out of what King Ukai was suggesting.   
  


"ah, she tends to get overwhelmed with big crowds. Such a sensitive young woman, it's a shame we haven't found a proper suitor who'd take care of her."

A muscle in Suga's jaw twitched, as he maintained his polite smile and easy-going vibe, which was now slightly thrown off.   
  
_ Gods help me and give me patience, because if you give me strength I may very well kill my own father right here right now _

  
  


Tooru shifted awkwardly as he tried to find a way to respond before finally saying vaguely “I’m sure you’ll find her a lovely suitor soon.”   
  


"ah yes, well if you excuse me, Koshi my boy, I'd like to have a word with you."

  
  


Suga smiled a little and nodded. While to most he seemed content and nonchalant, there was a certain sense of dread about him if you looked close enough. The happy sparkle in his eyes from earlier was gone as said in a soft but polite voice "of course father" and turned towards Tooru, now tenser than earlier as he said, "it was lovely seeing you again, Prince Tooru, I hope you have a good rest of your evening..."

  
  


Tooru’s princely smile was close to falling. Something was definitely off, and he knew that what he was witnessing was more sinister than either wanted to let on. “You too, Prince Koshi..”

  
  


Tooru’s smile finally fell as he saw how Koshi left with his father. As the prince walked away with his father, he grabbed a glass of champagne from one of the servants and downed it before putting it back on the same servant’s tray, his hands shaking ever so slightly. No, whatever King Ukai needed Koshi for was not good. Tooru looked around for a moment. There was no way anyone could notice that he was gone if he was only gone for a few moments. and so with that, Tooru followed them, an uneasy feeling settling in his stomach as he left the ballroom. 


	6. Chapter 6

_ **T** **W , ABUSE AND DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE** _

Tooru was right. Karasuno was definitely  _ not  _ what it appeared to be.

But Gods did he wish it was.

  
  


As the prince followed the distant footsteps that echoed throughout the cavernous hallways, he could hear hushed voices slowly grow louder, a sound that made the knot in Tooru’s stomach tighten. Finally, he heard the creak of an old wooden door open, and then slam heavily. 

  
  


_ Fuck fuck fuck please Gods let this all be a misunderstanding.  _

Turns out, maybe the gods weren’t listening then.

  
  


As Tooru neared the door, he pressed himself against the wall beside it and listened in

  
  


"Suga, do you realize the current financial situation our kingdom is in?" King Ukai asked in a level voice. 

  
  


"Yes father, but-" Koshi started before getting cut off by King Ukai.

  
  


"So you realize that our people would greatly benefit from a union between Aoba Johsai and Karasuno"

  
  


"Yes father"

  
  


"So why did I see you dancing with Prince Tooru after you know I have been trying to discuss an arrangement?"

  
  
  


"Father I can explain-"

  
  


"Do you not care about your kingdom?"

  
  


"No father that isn't true-"

  
  


"Do you know what the word treason means?"

  
  


"Yes, father but-"

  
  


"What does the word treason mean, Sugawara?"   
  
  


Tooru frowned as he overheard the conversation. The knot in his stomach tightened more.

  
  


"The act of betraying one's country-" 

  
  
  


"Don't you think that intentionally keeping your country from being the best it can could possibly fall under betraying?"

  
  


"Father, I didn't mean to-"

  
  


"Oh don't give me that. You never mean to. You're always making excuses. Why can't you be more like Daichi? At Least he takes accountability for his actions unlike you." Ukai spat bitterly. Tooru felt his anger surge as he listened in, it took everything in the prince at that moment not to step into the room and curse Ukai for daring to speak to his own son like that. 

  
  


"well, Father-” Koshi started, his voice still calm but with the shakiness of someone who was trying to suppress their anger. “-if we're living in such poverty, why are you spending so much money on our festivities?"

  
  


"So you don't appreciate the things I give you?"

  
  


“I never said that. I’m just saying maybe there are better ways to help our kingdom!"

  
  


"So I'm a bad ruler now!?"

  
  


"well if the shoe fits-"

  
  


As Koshi spoke there was the loud and unmistakable sound of a fist connecting with skin and then a thud. Tooru peaked into the crack in the door to see Ukai now towering over Koshi, who was holding his jaw in pain.    
  
  


“You think you’re just  _ so  _ clever, don’t you!?.” Ukai yelled now, his rage seeming to have finally boiled over. “You must just now know  _ everything _ huh?! Is that it!? All I do is work and all I get back is that fucking attitude of yours!” 

  
  
  


Koshi guarded his face with his arms as Ukai went to hit him again, this time hitting Koshi’s forearm and causing him to fall to the floor. Tooru shook with rage as he watched this, small teal flames sparking in and out of existence around his hands, which were clenched in fists. It was one thing to hit someone, but your own child? At that moment all Tooru wanted to do was take out his anger on the King, who’d once held a semi-respectable title in his mind.

  
  
  


Ukai’s anger seemed to have gone to a cold fury as he rang a bell for his servants. As two of them answered, they glanced at Tooru for a moment before walking in.

  
  
  


“Take him back to his room. And don’t let him out until the day of the coronation. Since he’s so worried about how I manage finances around here. He can watch from his window.” Ukai ordered, his voice cold and severe. Koshi jerked his arms out of the servant’s hands as they helped him up and began dragging him back to the door. “Get off me. I know where I’m going.” the young prince snapped as he walked out of the door. Koshi glanced around, his eyes widening slightly as they landed on Tooru. However, he quickly regained his composer and looked away, muttering a quiet “Prince Tooru.” Before walking down the hall with the servants flanking either side of him.

  
  
  


Tooru stood there for a moment, frozen with shock from what had happened. There’d always been the rumors as to why Karasuno’s heirs seemed so distant from their father, a few of the kings from neighboring kingdoms had placed bets on whether or not King Ukai really did beat his kids like the rumors said, but Tooru never really thought it could be true. He’d always just written it off as another story the Servants told as they worked to keep themselves entertained. But now Tooru knew. It was no exaggeration. He didn’t know how long he had been standing there, but he quickly snapped out of his trance as he heard heavy footsteps nearing the door. Without thinking, Tooru ducked behind a heavy velvet orange curtain. He listened as the heavy wooden door creaked open once again and what now felt like the deafening footsteps of King Ukai approached him. For a minute they stopped right in front of Tooru, and Tooru’s heart stopped along with them. There was a pause that couldn’t have been longer than a minute or two, but it felt like hours until the footsteps resumed and faded away as Ukai walked back into the ballroom. Tooru stepped out from behind the curtain, now certain of what he had to do.

  
  


He had to find Koshi.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's note: OK ok ok so not a new chapter but I wanted to pop in and thank all of you for the astounding love and support I've been getting. Like seriously, I did _not_ expect you guys to like this as much as you did. This is was all started because I decided to write out the plot of an rp my friend and I had, so thank you for the support on this fic, and I promise you I'll try to upload as much as possible


	8. Chapter 8

Tooru stopped for a moment in front of the door. It had taken maybe 30 minutes and help from a servant named Yamaguchi, but he’d finally found Koshi’s room. In all honesty, Tooru didn’t know what it was that made him need to see Koshi so badly, but he did. He needed confirmation that he was ok. Tooru took a deep breath before gently knocking on the heavy dark oak wood door.

  
  


_____

  
  
  


Koshi sighed as he walked into his room, not bothering to look at the servants.

“I really am sorry, your majesty..” One of them said softly. Koshi sighed and looked down, he couldn’t be mad at them. The servants were under the control of his father, and that meant they had to do anything Ukai said, which was often telling them to take Koshi to his room and lock the door so he couldn’t leave.

“It’s fine..” Koshi said softly “I know you don’t like doing this either. See you in two weeks?” He asked, looking back with a sad smile. The servants looked down and nodded a bit, closing the door. Koshi let his head drop with a sigh as he heard the soft click of the door being locked. Tears began to prickle in his eyes, and in all honesty, Koshi was too exhausted to try and fight them as they rolled down his face. This happened often enough. One of his siblings would realize he wasn’t there and he’d be brought some kind of snack and maybe a conversation through the door. Of course, the main question was when. Kiyoko seemed to be preoccupied with talking to one of the guests, probably the blacksmith guessing by his shaved head and the multiple burn marks on his arms, and Daichi couldn’t leave the party without  _ someone _ noticing. Then there was Asahi, who would probably also be in his room by now because of his hatred of loud and extravagant parties. Koshi felt his stomach growl with hunger. Between writing his speech, then abandoning writing his speech, and then getting dragged out of the room before food could be served, Koshi hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast that morning. He quickly looked around his room for a moment, before finding a small bowl of grapes that one of the servants must have left that morning in anticipation. Again, this happened often enough that Servants would regularly leave small snacks in his room on the off-chance the prince was sentenced to isolation before he had the chance to eat something. He smiled softly through his tears and grabbed the bowl from the nightstand it was on, sniffling as he popped one of the grapes in his mouth dejectedly. Once finished with the small dinner he had, Koshi resorted to standing up and hitting the dark stone wall next to him out of frustration. He cursed to himself, white pain exploding in his knuckles, and examined how bad he split him. The prince muttered angrily to himself as he inspected the now bloody and split knuckles. He felt more tears threaten behind his eyes and sighed, letting his head drop as the tears spilled and dampened the carpet under his feet. After a moment, however, he was caught off guard by a soft knock on the door. 

“What?” He snapped. There was a pause before someone spoke, their voice catching him off guard.

Why was he here?  _ How  _ was he here?

“Koshi?” Tooru’s voice asked, his voice full of worry “Are you ok..?”

  
  


“T-tooru…? What are you doing here…?” Koshi asked, cringing a little at hoarse and broken his voice sounded from crying.

  
  


“I-... I saw what happened….and I wanted to make sure you’re ok…” There was a pause before Tooru asked, “may I come in…?”

“I wish you could..” Koshi said with a weak laugh as he wiped a few tears off his face and thus smearing a small amount of blood on his face as well.

  
  


“What do you mean..?”

  
  


"it's locked from the outside....unless you have a spare key...."

  
  
  
  


“Oh? Wait- give me a minute…” After Tooru’s words, there was a moment of silence where the only sound that could be heard was the occasional jiggle of the door before the lock clicked open. “Ok….now can I come in..?”

  
  


Suga looked up and wiped away his tears trying to compose himself. He'd long ago taken off his suit jacket and cape, along with most of his accessories, save his crown so that he was wearing his plain white button-down shirt and high-waisted slacks. "Sure..." 

After Koshi said this Tooru opened the door and walked in, “Are you ok..?” Almost as soon as he said those words he regretted it. One look at the prince would tell you he wasn’t ok. His eyes were rimmed with red from crying and sparkling with unshed tears. His cheeks had tear tracks down them, still glistening under the light of the chandelier in Koshi’s room, a small smudge of red on his cheek from where he’d tried (but failed) to wipe away his tears. Tooru didn’t wait for a response before wrapping his arms around Koshi protectively, “I’m so sorry I didn’t stop him…”   
  
  


Koshi stood there for a moment, not making any move out of shock. In all honesty, Koshi hadn’t experienced much affection in his life. Asahi and Daichi were always busy as the two eldest, and it was always a bit weird to be comforted by his little sister. Mix that in with the fact Koshi could only be given so much comfort by the servants and Yamaguchi, and it wasn’t a mystery as to why Koshi wasn’t the best at receiving affection. After a moment though, Koshi hugged back tightly, tears falling hard and fast as let himself fall apart in Tooru’s arms. Tooru sighed quietly as he held Koshi, guilt hitting him hard with every harsh breath Koshi took. He was right there, he could’ve stopped it, he could’ve gone back and called Ukai out on his bullshit in front of everyone. But instead, he stood there and watched as the person he’d been dancing with for hours before getting beaten by the one person that’s supposed to love him more than anything and then hid behind a curtain instead of calling him out on it. 

_ Great going, shittykawa.  _

After Koshi’s heaving sobs became quiet sniffles and soft hitches in his breath, Tooru carefully cupped the young Prince’s face to examine it. It was a wonder to him, how someone could look so beautiful after crying so hard. As Tooru carefully wiped a few tears that were rolling down Koshi’s cheeks with his thumb, he asked in a soft voice, “Where did he hit you? Does it hurt?- I’m asking too many questions, I’m sorry..”   
  


Koshi smiled weakly as he gently moved Tooru's hand in response. Where Tooru’s hand was, was a red and angry mark, the very beginnings of a muted purple-y color showing in the middle. Tooru grimaced a little as he gently ran his thumb over it, causing Koshi to hiss in pain quietly.

“Sorry…” Tooru said softly as he then looked down at Koshi’s arms, where a bruise similar to the one on his face was forming, half on one arm and then half on his other arm. Rage quickly filled the space concern once had in Tooru’s chest as he inspected the two marks. Not just because Koshi had been hurt but because for  _ so long _ he thought that this was a joke. A rumor. Something his dad and the other kings had bet on and laughed about when they saw each other.

It didn’t seem so funny to him anymore.

  
  


His train of thought was interrupted by a small “ah jeez…” When Tooru looked back up at Koshi, the young prince was looking at his knuckles, which had scabs forming over the top of them. Koshi looked up at Tooru’s cape, which had a few small red stains now. “I’m sorry…” Koshi started, his voice quiet and coated in guilt, “I’m sorry, I got blood on your cape..”   
  
“Oh, it’s no problem, I have a ton of these at home anyways” Tooru reassured before tearing a piece of his cape off and using it to bandage Koshi’s hand. Koshi smiled before pointing out “I had an uh- a first aid kit in my room…”   
  
Tooru looked over to where Koshi had gestured to see a wooden box of medical supplies. How many times had this happened for him to have medical supplies in his room? Tooru pushed the thought to the back of his mind for now, and answered, “oh...well, still. It’s not a huge deal,” 

Koshi smiled a little and looked down at his hand, which was still in Tooru’s before yawning a little. This is when Tooru realized how tired the prince looked and when it dawned on him that maybe bombarding him with all the questions he had wasn’t the move. All the times Tooru cried as hard as Koshi had, he remembered how exhausted he felt afterward. 

  
  


“Hey..” Tooru started as he gently put a hand on Koshi’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go rest for a minute? I can leave you alone if you’d like-”

“No please don’t leave.” Suga cut in, his voice almost desperate at the idea of Tooru leaving. “I just-.... I don’t want to be alone right now..”

  
  


Tooru paused before nodding a bit and sitting down with Koshi on the bed, who leaned against him a little and yawned again. Without thinking, Tooru wrapped his arm around Koshi as the prince let his head fall and rest on Tooru’s shoulder. Tooru hummed quietly for a little, before glancing down and realizing that Koshi had fallen asleep on Tooru’s shoulder. He chuckled for a moment, smiling at how cute Koshi looked before carefully laying Koshi down and pulling the covers over him. For a moment Tooru stared at Koshi, and how peaceful he seemed. He hadn’t noticed it before, but Koshi always seemed slightly on edge when he was awake as if waiting for something to go wrong. But now, he seemed so peaceful, so  _ calm. _ Tooru realized then how much he wished he could take away whatever made Koshi so on edge, whatever made it so he couldn’t be as at peace as he was when he was sleeping. Eventually, Tooru snapped out of his daze and looked away, a small blush on his face as he moved off the bed onto the stool at the end of it. Still watching Koshi as he leaned against one of the canopy supports and began to drift off himself, one thought playing in his mind 

_ When did I start having cheesy thoughts like this, and why? _


	9. Chapter 9

**NOT A NEW CHAPTER BUT PLEASE READ ANYWAYS**

So yall probably could guess just based off when I post my stuff, but I'm a student still, and school combined with outside hobbies and honestly just a bad dip in my mental health has all around made getting new chapters out a bit of a struggle, not to mention I have 2 other fics I would like to keep posting on semi-regularly (check those out if you want, it'd mean a lot to me). So for those reasons, getting chapters out may take a bit longer. however, one of my favorite things to do when I upload is to read the comments, and for that reason, I would like to propose that you guys ask me some questions in the comments of this and I will answer them at the end of the chapter. The questions can be about a certain character in the fic, the fic as a whole, or even about the humble author themself (I'm really not that interesting but you can if you want) This is something I've been wanting to do for a while, so please ask away and I will answer as many as I can if not all of them!

-your humble author


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I hope you like the new chapter, I'm still asking for questions for an upcoming QnA. They can anything from questions about Characters and the extent of their powers, plans for upcoming chapters, stuff about me or even how I got the ideas for this story! In the mean-time, I'll be posting as often as I can between school, hobbies, and posting on my other two fics!
> 
> Without further a due, I hope you like the new chapter!

Tooru woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the door. 

“Suga? Are you ok?”   
  
Tooru cursed. He vaguely remembered the voice to belong to one of the servants he’d gotten help from, Yamaguchi or something like that. The now slightly panicked prince glanced back at Koshi’s bed to check and see if he was still asleep, which he was. In fact, Koushi seemed completely unbothered by the knocking as he was still sound asleep, his chest rising and falling softly as he snored ever so slightly. Tooru took a deep breath and scoured his brain for a reason as to why he was still in the room while Koshi was asleep. Any servant with an ounce of proper training would immediately suspect something. If not a scandal then some kind of poisoning or attempt at assassination. Before he could think of something, however, another knock rang out, and the servant’s voice called out, “Koshi if you don’t answer then I’m coming in, ok?”

Shit. 

It’s suspicious enough for Tooru to be in the room at all, much less to be in that room, be awake, and to have not answered. Tooru didn’t know what he’d say to the servant as an explanation, but time to think was up. And if he didn’t answer….No. he had to. Tooru took a small breath and cracked the door open to see Yamaguchi messing with his loop of keys. He immediately looked up however when he saw the dim light from the room illuminate a sliver on his face. 

“Prince Tooru? What are you still doing here?” Yamaguchi asked, confusion evident on his face as he stared up at Tooru. Tooru panicked searched for an answer before finally deciding just to tell the truth.

“I had heard that Prince Koshi had gotten into a fight with his father and I had come to make sure he was ok, and I guess I dozed off after he fell asleep or something..” Tooru admitted, cringing a little at how sorry his excuse sounded. Yamaguchi however seemed to have completely believed Tooru as he didn’t even seem to be bothered by the fact that he was still in the room. Instead, he asked, “oh, is he ok?”

“I-...yeah, I think so. He’s still asleep at the moment, so you know..”

Yamaguchi nodded and noted, “well, I think I should be on my way then-”

“Wait, you aren’t going to question me? Or tell me to leave? What if I planned to hurt him?”

Yamaguchi stared at Tooru for a moment before smiling as if he knew something Tooru didn’t. “If you planned to hurt Prince Koshi, then why did you fall asleep in the room with him  _ after  _ he was already asleep?”

“I-..” Tooru started before realizing there wasn’t really a reason for it “-you’re right, I suppose.”

“ _ Plus _ ” Yamaguchi continued, “What would you have to gain from that? If you had come here to hurt the kingdom in some way, you would be going after one of the older siblings, would you not?”

“W-well yes, I suppose so.”

“See then? Now, I need to get going, have a good night your majesty” Yamaguchi bowed a little before hurrying down the stairs. For a moment Tooru stood there, trying to figure out what to do from there before a soft noise from behind him broke him out of his trance. When he looked back at the bed where Koshi was, the covers shifted. Tooru, now intrigued by the movement since before Koshi seemed to be out like a light, walked over to where the prince was asleep. When he got over and looked at Koshi, whose face was peeking out from under the fluffy duvet set, he frowned slightly. The sleeping prince’s face was contorted with what seemed to be fear or pain. Koshi whimpered softly in his sleep as he subconsciously moved again. Tooru hummed softly and sat down on the edge of the bed next to him, carefully brushing his fingers through Koshi's hair. In truth, he had no idea if he was actually helping but, he remembered how his mother would sing to him after he had nightmares as a kid, and thought maybe this would be the best course of action to comfort Koshi without actually waking him. After a few minutes, however, Koshi clawed at the sheets as he bolted straight up, crying out in alarm. Tooru frowned more and sighed before carefully cupping Koshi's face and making him look at him. “Hey..it’s ok...you’re ok now...you’re safe” Tooru promised as he gently rubbed his thumb across Koshi's cheekbone. He hadn’t realized how perfect Koshi’s cheekbones were. The way they rounded out Koshi’s cheeks and were always flushed ever-so-slightly as if he were always blushing.

Koshi looked at Tooru for a minute, still shaking from his nightmare, “s-sorry..I uhm- I-I didn’t realize you actually stayed…” He muttered, his voice shaken and thin like he was trying to hold back the full weight of his feelings.

“I won’t leave you...not unless you want me to..” Tooru reassured as he kept one hand cupping Koshi’s face but took the prince’s hand with his other. Koshi nodded a little and leaned into Tooru’s hand, sighing softly as he seemed to relax a little in Tooru’s arms. Tooru smiled at this, it was good to see Koshi so comfortable with him.

It felt nice. 

____

**CW, NIGHTMARES**

Of course, he had a nightmare. 

He always did. 

It’s not like they weren’t common. The nightmares.

But this one…

It was different. 

Probably because it was the first time Koshi’s mind weaponized Tooru.

Koshi knew it wasn’t real. Not really at least, but it was so  _ unsettling _ to see Tooru light that. Eyes completely pitch black and tears of some substance the same color as ink making tear tracks down his face and staining the suit he was wearing. It was the same suit from the ball, only the colors were all different. Instead of the dazzling white, it had been, it was now a dirty silver, and the metal was tarnished and rusted. Nothing about this looked like the Tooru he’d danced with. His skin was a grey-blue color, and his hair was a wreck, dirt and random blades of dead grass visible in it. All the warmth in his skin was gone, making the princely smile that seemed to entrance Koshi before appear twisted and menacing.

  
  


_ “Come on, Prince Sugawara. Dance with me!” _

Corpsified Tooru’s voice was sharp and venomous, each of his words cutting Koshi like a knife. Koshi tried to back away, but Tooru’s hand gripped the prince’s wrist before he could, sending an icy cold sensation shooting through his wrist around where Tooru grabbed him. Koshi tensed and tried to pull away from Tooru as they began to dance back in fourth. Distorted music was playing from somewhere, each note seemed off-key and out of tune. And the  _ laughing _ . It was as if his entire kingdom was hiding somewhere in the cavernous abandoned ballroom to mock and humiliate the youngest son of Karasuno. Second-place-Suga- no, not even second place,  _ forgotten _ . No one cared about him. The son that was destined to go off and marry for the sake of an alliance.

_ How does it feel to know that no matter what you do, you’ll never amount to anything? _

“S-stop…” Koshi sputtered out, causing the laughter to intensify. “Stop!” the prince screamed, terror evident in his voice. The laughter grew to a deafening volume and suddenly, the corpsified Tooru that stood in front of him crumbled into dust. Koshi looked around frantically before realizing what he’d become.

He’d become what he feared the most.

He’d become his father.

He looked in one of the reflective mirrors at his outfit. An all-black suit with a ginger-orange cape, lined with black crow feathers around the collar. He wore the boots his father wore all the time. The same boots that had kicked him in the torso countless times. His crown was a bronze that was polished to the point of hurting Koshi’s eyes when he looked at it with obsidian and onyx and black diamonds encrusting it. Behind him, Ukai stood proudly, his hands on Koshi’s shoulders.

_ “Look at you. Finally fit to be the king I always wanted you to be.” _

The words that were supposed to be comforting filled Koshi’s stomach dread. He’d become someone his father was proud of. But he wasn’t himself anymore. He was his father, in every way he could be. Sure he still had his silver hair and beauty mark and brown eyes, but he’d become just as cruel and selfish and greedy as his father had been. 

“P-please no…”

_ Just like your father _

“No…”

_ Finally the son he’d always wanted _

“This isn’t me..”

  
  


_ All you’ve ever wanted is right there Sugawara. _

“Stop!”

At his words, the walls around him began crumbling.

A pillar was about to hit him.

And then he woke up.

Koshi shook slightly as he frantically looked around, just to make sure what he was seeing was real. He knew it was once Tooru cupped his face and moved him so he was looking into his eyes.

“Hey, you’re ok...it’s ok…” 

Koshi didn’t know why Tooru’s voice was able to soothe him so much, but at that moment he truly believed those words. Maybe it was his voice, soft and soothing and mellifluous with the perfect lilt to it to keep him from sounding insincere. 

“s-sorry..I uhm- I-I didn’t realize you actually stayed…” Koshi muttered. He hadn’t realized Tooru would actually stay with him, or why he actually did. But there he was, rubbing careful circles into Koshi’s cheekbones. Tooru had perfect cheekbones. They were angular and high and made him look every bit as sophisticated and royal as he really was. His eyes were perfect too, the perfect shade of warm brown that made Koshi think of Autumn days where the air was warm and comforting with the perfect breeze that would blow in to keep you from being too warm. There was something about Tooru Oikawa that made Koshi believe maybe everything really would be ok. 

Just maybe. 

  
Tooru grabbed a cup of water from Koshi’s side table (bless the Servants for thinking ahead of the game) and held it to Koshi’s lips, “here, your head must hurt from crying earlier..”

Koshi’s head did hurt. He smiled as he took a few sips, the cold and panicked feeling that had once seized his whole being now melting away into a warm and fuzzy feeling. 

_ Since when did I become so soft? _

“Thank you..that was- really thoughtful, actually,” Koshi said with a small smile. It was nice for Tooru to think of him like that. It was the small acts like that that caused Koshi to feel his heart flutter a bit as he looked at Tooru. No one had thought to make sure he’d stayed hydrated after crying, or to gently brush their fingers through his hair, or to tuck him in after he’d fallen asleep on top of the covers before. He wasn’t used to the gentleness or the softness of Tooru Oikawa. 

Was he- no. No there’s no way.

He couldn’t be developing feelings.

Could he?

Koshi sighed and stood up, a sudden restlessness settling in his bones and making it impossible for him to stay in the room. He was sick of it. Sick of his room. Sick of being told to stay in one place until his father fetched for him. It was maddening. And with so much to think of, Koshi needed fresh air. Tooru followed the prince as he paced around his room with slight concern. Eventually, Koshi drew back the curtains to reveal a window that overlooked the royal garden. Wrought Iron bars covered the panes, so even if you were to open the window, it would be impossible to actually lean out of the thing at all. Koshi cursed to himself. Of course, his father had barred his window. 

“Uh- Suga..? What are you doing exactly..?” Tooru ventured cautiously, not wanting to upset the already agitated prince.

“Trying to figure out how to get out of this room, I’ll go insane if I stay here any longer,” Koshi explained, not looking back at Tooru as he spoke. There was a moment of silence before Koshi turned around and asked “you have fire magic, right?”

“I- uh- y-yeah, I do- why?” Tooru sputtered out, caught off guard by the sudden question.

“Here-” Koshi pointed to latches that connected the bars to the stone wall of the castle. “-can you heat those?”

Tooru looked at Koshi before nodding a little and hovering his hands over the latches Koshi had pointed to, after a few moments the latches glowed a faint red from the heat, and Tooru’s hands had a couple of faint burns on his palms.

“That’s good, thank you,” Koshi said softly once he was satisfied by the amount of metal that glowed red. As soon as he noticed the burns on Tooru’s hands, however, he frowned slightly, guilt settling on his chest as he took the prince’s hands in his own. “I didn’t realize you could get burned by your own magic…”

“I’m still working on controlling it and managing the whole- ya know, burn part..” Tooru said awkwardly as he looked away, his face flushing with embarrassment. 

Koshi nodded, despite not actually understanding. Being born with your abilities meant Koshi never had to learn how to actually use them. They more so came to him. Of course, he had to learn how to control and further use them, but as far as having to worry about managing them, he had an advantage over those who learned it without the innate ability. He also didn’t have to worry about it hurting him, as you can’t really get injured by water. Koshi focused for a minute, closing his eyes as he conjured up some of his magic. When he opened his eyes again, water droplets had formed over where Tooru’s burns were. Koshi looked up, “Is that a bit better..?” He asked hopefully. Tooru moved his hands to inspect them, rewarding Koshi with an awe-struck smile “yes, that’s- that’s so cool! They aren’t even moving!” he noted as he rotated his hands, marveling at how the water droplets stayed stuck to the burns. Koshi smiled and blushed a bit at the compliment. That was another thing, the compliments. Koshi had never experienced getting compliments before on his powers, which were more so treated as something that should be discreetly pushed away and kept a secret.

“Thank you..” Koshi said quietly, grinning more than he had meant to. He grinned a lot around Tooru. It sort of made his cheeks hurt. Tooru nodded and looked up, “what now?” He asked curiously. Koshi smiled mysteriously and closed his eyes, drawing up more of his magic. As he did, ice-cold water snaked around the previously burning hot metal, causing the latches to snap and break off from the extreme temperature change. Koshi smiled with satisfaction as he pulled the bars off the window with a bit of struggle before setting them on the floor. Without a word to Tooru, he climbed through the window and dropped out of it into seemingly nothing but air. Tooru gasped and immediately leaned out of the window to try and catch Koshi, before seeing that Koshi was now sitting on the side of a slanted roof, looking up at Tooru expectantly.

“Well? You comin?”


End file.
